Elections: All Parties Promise Better Healthcare, Most Would Change Top-Up Insurance System (Feature)

By , 21 May 2018, 13:45 PM News
Elections: All Parties Promise Better Healthcare, Most Would Change Top-Up Insurance System (Feature) Flickr - nursingschoolsnearme.com CC by 2.0

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STA, 21 May 2018 - The parties standing in this year's election would reform the public healthcare system, albeit in very different ways. They mostly agree that more funds are needed, but have different views on how to secure them. The majority are against privatisation, and they also promise to cut waiting times. 

All our election coverage can be found here, while our profiles of the major parties are here.

Many would abolish, or at least reform, top-up health insurance - a monthly sum of some 30 euro paid to supplement mandatory insurance to access all public healthcare services.

Among them are all three coalition parties, the opposition Democratic Party (SDS), Left and Alenka Bratušek Party, and several non-parliamentary parties, including the Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ).

The non-parliamentary Good State and the opposition New Slovenia (NSi) oppose its abolishment, with Good Sate saying there is enough money, what is needed is better oversight.

The NSi is, however, in favour of private funds being channelled into the public healthcare system, but says that public funds should remain the main source of financing.

That oversight should be improved is also a view held by the LMŠ, which would transform supplementary insurance into mandatory, pegging it to one's social status.

Meanwhile, several parties believe the public healthcare system should get more public funds, including the coalition Social Democrats (SD) and Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) as well as the opposition Left and Bratušek's party.

Both DeSUS and Bratušek would increase funds from the national budget, but also raise mandatory insurance, which is paid from one's gross salary.

However, Bratušek's party would first reach a consensus on a set of services the public healthcare system must provide, and then suitably adjust funds to finance it.

The ruling Modern Centre Party (SMC) would secure more funds from the national budget by introducing a tobacco cent or a tax on sugary drinks.

This would offset the shortfall of revenue resulting from the abolition of supplementary insurance.

The SDS would first try to streamline the existing system and then increase funds, mostly through contributions and taxes.

But it believes supplementary insurance should cover only non-medical services, such as spa treatment or non-emergency medical transport.

The parties would also approach in different manners waiting times, another burning issue partly related to funding.

The SDS and NSi see a solution in letting competition in, whereas the SD and Left believe more funds, mostly public ones, would be needed to improve accessibility.

The SDS would lift all restrictions preventing doctors working in the public healthcare system from also working in private medical organisations, and fund more services which would be performed by public and private doctors.

Similarly, the LMŠ would draw up a national programme to cut wait times in which it would include private doctors, taking long-term measures only later on.

Good State would cut waiting times by eradicating corruption, improving organisation and management, and introducing bonuses for good work.

DeSUS and the non-parliamentary Pirate Party would hire new doctors and reorganise the system, with DeSUS also taking measures for young doctors to stay in Slovenia.

The Pirates would go digital to the greatest possible degrees, while the SMC said the Miro Cerar government had already introduced electronic referral and prescription.

The non-parliamentary National Party (SNS) believes waiting lines could only be shortened once the Health Ministry is overhauled to hire "proper experts".

The parties also promise change in how public health institutions (hospitals, community health centres) are managed to make them more efficient.

Some, including the SDS and NSi, would transform them into companies of special importance, whereas the SD and LMŠ promise managers and supervisors more autonomy.

As for encouraging healthy living, the LMŠ would offer citizens health insurance discounts, the SMC would restrict kindergarten accessibility for non-vaccinated children and the Left would reduce the sale of harmful food.

Meanwhile, the recently established For Healthy Society party would integrate complementary and alternative medicine into the public healthcare system.

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